"Reading" Friends Through Audience Analysis

My Purpose

     The way in which the viewing audience responds to a specific show is a result of how they code and decode the signs presented by the show. Codes are dependent on the agreement of its users (Hermann). The conventions used "depend on changes in society" (Hermann), and can be seen through the way in which different viewing audiences decode signs. Audience analysis is important in determining how the show Friends is read and interpreted. The way in which the viewing audience is separated into age groups and their reactions and responses to the specific episode, and also the show in general, were recorded. More...

My Conclusion
     For the majority of the data collected, the subjects seemed to be unaware of the signs being presented to them, and their decoding of the signs. However, once asked to explain why they think the show is funny, it became obvious that they (unconsciously, passively) code and decode the signs presented to them. The silly, absurd situations that the characters get into prove to be funny not just because they are silly and outrageous, but because they walk the fine line between fact and fiction, and thus encourage the viewer to try to distinguish between the two. The data collected serves to prove Hermann's point that " the way we put meaning to what we see on TV does not differ too much from how we understand the world we live in." The audience relates to the show because they can see aspects of their own lives being represented. However, the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction allows them to see how they are actively taking part in the reading of television as a text. Rather than passively absorbing the content of the show like empty vessels, the fact that they the audience is able to recognize and, more importantly, verbalize what it is that keeps them watching is evidence that they are getting more out of the show than just entertainment. More...

Work Cited: Hermann, Stefan. "Do we learn to 'read' television like a kind of 'language'?" http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/sfh9901.html

Melissa Lim